This article is part of our College Baseball Picks series.
College Baseball Bets: Saturday, March 15
Hawaii came OHHH SO CLOSE. The boys went toe to toe after dark against one of the country's best in Tyler Bremner, but couldn't pull off the +190 banger. You know we're going right back to the Bows Saturday, though (+130). I believe that snaps the Friday win streak at four. Time to build a new one.
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Florida Gators Team Total 4.5 (Over: -135/Under: +105)
If you look at one of the top matchups in college baseball over the last half-decade or so, there are not many that rank ahead of the Gators and Vols. Two of the most dominant programs in the sport always show out for their battles. Friday night was a wild 5-3 contest in favor of UT, but it lived up to the hype for the SEC opener.
The Gators are dealing with a ton of injuries, including star 2B Cade Kurland and SP2 Pierce Coppola. The lineup doesn't have the same juice as it has in past seasons when my incubator guys Wyatt Langford and Jac Caglianone were tearing it up. It's not completely invalid by any stretch of the imagination. The offense is still off to a hot start batting .327 with 30 bops and 164 runs in 19 games.
They also handled Vols ace Liam Doyle very well on Friday, chasing him in the fifth at 105 pitches. The squad has a couple of key returners but some big-time new guys. Miami transfer Blake Cyr (.344 average/1.009 OPS) is off to a hot start as a big name from the portal. Bobby Boser (.306 average, 7 homers) was a sneaky scoop from USF. The biggest boost has been the emergence of the junior giant Brody Donay (.410 average/1.462 OPS/8 homers) as one of the main enforcers. Donay has gallons of power, putting it on display with some nuclear bombs in the CWS last season.
On Saturday, Tennessee will be rolling with another talented arm in Marcus Phillips. Phillips of course has been the recipient of an easy schedule so far, but his .095 ERA and .177 OBA is still impressive. It's a live high 90's fastball that helps generate those punchouts (25 K's in 19 innings), but something that I find interesting is his 96.2% LOB. In a rival game, Phillips will have to deal with not just a good lineup, but a heavyweight fight.
The Gators effed me on Friday's TTO 3.5 when they scored the fourth run with bases loaded one out, but a once in a century inference call wiped it off the board and they never threatened again. Granted star reliever Nate Snead was dealing in nearly four shutout innings, but he's cooked for game two. And that opens up the gates a bit.
Off a loss, I think this UF offense will be a little bit more efficient, especially if they can rack up the pitch count of Phillips. Giving them a chance to redeem themselves in a bandbox ball park.
Pick: Florida TTO 4.5 -135 (DK)
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